Brett turns off the engine and releases a deep breathe. Cold rain beats down on the windshield in fat heavy drops, and without the constant breath of the defroster, the windows start to fog.
The interior of the car is bathed in neon red light from the sign above the storefront. It flashes "Adult Arcade" over and over. The red pallor gives Brett an unearned devilish guise.
'It's really come to this.' Brett thinks back on his last three years at college. Mediocre grades. Unlucky in love to say the least. Now with finals looming, he was as stressed as he'd ever been.
A friend had suggested a NIGHT AT THE ARCADE to unwind. He'd said it that way, in all caps. It was a common phrase around the dorms and frat houses of VSU. Even Brett, who'd never been, knew that it had become infamous as a haven for no-strings-attached release.
"Booth #1", his friend had said with a knowing wink.
Brett takes the keys from the ignition and hurries towards the door, managing to get soaked in the process. An electronic chime announces his entry to the low ceilinged store.
The room is bathed in harsh fluorescent lighting and covered wall-to-wall with dingy grey, high-traffic carpeting. Brett tries not to think about what the misshapen stains are. From behind the counter a middle-aged clerk gives him a smile and a nod.
"Good night for it, huh?"
"Sorry?" Brett asks, fighting the urge to turn and flee with embarrassment.
"No line." The clerk nods towards the back of the store where a small blue corrugated plastic sign with white lettering hangs over a black doorway. The letters spell out "Arcade $20".
Brett gives a laugh, trying to act like he belongs.
"Oh, right."
He debates spending some time in this room first. With hands in his coat pockets, he walks slowly down a row of magazines and plastic DVD cases. The titles shock him. Cum Guzzlers 7. Ass Girls R Us. Just 18 Schoolgirls - 5.
Brett's amazed at the variety on display and the lewdness of the covers. Girls bending over or on their knees, often naked or in panties only. Who are the girls in these movies? And did Cum Guzzlers 1 really warrant so many sequels?
A man emerges from the Arcade, zipping up his jeans and heading to the counter. In loud discussion with the clerk, he hands over some money and says he hasn't cum that much in years.
Brett decides it's now or never. Using the distraction, he hurries down the next aisle and pushes past the black curtain covering the doorway to the Arcade.
He finds himself in a dark hallway extending to his right. The floor is sticky and black light provides the only illumination. A series of stalls line the left hand side, several with doors ajar.
The numbers start at 11 and decrease down the hall, so Brett has a long, sticky walk to the far end. A white number 1 glows in the black light. Below it shines a small green light.
Brett looks down the hall, sees no one, and steps inside.
The booth is spartan. Press board walls painted black. The same dingy grey carpet from the main store but with many more stains. On the far wall, a video monitor is playing a loop of pornography. At the moment, a buxom brunette is receiving an injection of at least 8-inches of dick, delivered anally. But Brett doesn't notice, because just after closing and sliding the barrel lock shut, Brett realizes he isn't alone.
Looking into a small compact mirror, a girl is dabbing at the corner of her mouth with a paper towel. Beside her is a small makeup bag, a trash can overflowing with crumpled paper towels and at least two more untouched rolls. She's also completely naked.
